Warren looking to ride a new WAVE

WARREN – A different kind of wave will overtake Warren in April. It could reshape the town’s future and swell community spirit.

The one-time community gathering Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8, is aimed at determining what direction residents want the town to grow and at building community leadership and spirit.

WAVE, which stands for Warren: A Vision for Everyone, will bring residents together to celebrate and reflect on their community assets and to build on shaping a healthy and sustainable community for tomorrow.

WAVE is a Vision to Action Forum designed and conducted by Delia Clark of Antioch New England Institute in Keene, N.H., and is part of the nationwide Antioch University system.

“A lot of times, towns don’t change their vision for years and years,” WAVE committee co-chairwoman Vikki Swan of Warren said last week.

Swan, 33, is somewhat new to the area, having moved to Warren five years ago from Hermon. Having young children and wanting to shape the future of the town they grow up in was one reason she got involved in the forum. But the endeavor is for people of all ages.

One of WAVE’s goals is to learn what residents want Warren to be in the future for its children and adults and to reflect on the town’s past.

The Vision to Action forum is part of the CO-SEED education program, which Warren Community School was chosen to participate in earlier this year. Funding for the program comes from a $100,000-per-year grant through Antioch New England Institute.

Often the cost for these events can exceed $10,000, organizers said, but Warren’s program is being paid for through the CO-SEED grant. Some money will need to be raised to supplement the grant funds, Swan said.

CO-SEED is a nationally renowned education program also operated by Antioch New England Institute, which partners the school with a local organization.

Here, QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment, which has a field desk in Friendship, is involved in the three-year project to introduce new teaching methods that strengthen ties among school, community and environment.

The forum is one of the ways these connections are built.

According to information provided by the group, Clark explains that the forums are often historic community gatherings, which rarely happen more than once.

They are meant to be an enjoyable way for residents to assess their town’s strengths and challenges and to launch projects that meet some of the most important needs. The forums are not meant to create new burdens for town leaders or associations.

What organizers are looking for now are Warren residents interested in helping to plan and carry out the major weekend event.

“We really only have three full months of planning,” Swan said, and volunteers are the key to success.

At the Warren forum, the participants will look at effective community leadership, resident participation, arts and culture, heritage, environmental and natural resources, social services and so on.

WAVE has formed a local committee, chosen a location, date and a name, and now is ready to plan other details, such as child care, meals, publicity, door prizes, transportation, facilitation and the opening show, Swan said, mentioning some of the areas where help is needed.

The committee will meet again at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, and Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Warren Community School’s art room.

Residents interested in becoming a part of the WAVE project are encouraged to attend.

The committee hopes to have a mission statement developed in time for the next meeting.

For further information about WAVE, contact Swan at 273-2231 or vjswan955@aol.com, or Jan Macdonald at 273-3154 or barleyjo@tds.net.